The dialogue below is part of a discussion between a writer (Stoney) and a woman he has just met (Jazzbell).

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“So, Jazzbell, what is your capacity in the Foundation?”

“I search for the new, the unusual, for potentials-still-untapped and bring in projects for the foundation to finance, oversee, and support.”

“That sounds exciting — sounds like a great job.”

“It’s not a job.   I don’t have a job.”

“What do you mean?" I asked,  "You do get paid, don’t you?”

“The financial rewards that arrive as a result of my thoughts, words, and actions are quite profound; however, what I do is not a job.   I live a lifestyle that brings me great joy, and, along the way, an abundance of money flows into my life.”

I sit back in my seat.   Once again, in less than five minutes in her presence, I’m amazed by this woman.   “So how do you manage to do that?” I asked.

“I have been blessed with the ability to listen to my feelings and follow my heart.”

“Money by listening to your heart.   That doesn’t make any sense at all to me, but it does sound like the basis for a very interesting story.”

“Stoney, do you enjoy writing?”

"Yes, of course," I replied

“I’ll bet you're a good reporter.”

“I like to think so, and I’ll bet you are a good story to write about.   

She continued, "And I’ll also bet that the main reason you are a good reporter is that you love being a reporter.“

“True.”

“Then you already know about receiving money by listening to your heart.”

“I do?”

“Have you heard the statement,  ‘Do what you love doing and the money will follow’?’

I replied, “That sounds vaguely familiar.”

“Do you do what you love doing?  Do you write because you love writing?”

“Yes.”

“Does money come to you as a result of your stories?”

“Yes.”

“Then, like I just said, you already know about receiving money by listening to your heart.”

“Thank you.   I never thought of it like that before.”

She added, “Shall I share with you another example of money from the heart?”

“Yes, please do,” I  replied

Do you remember Mickey Mantle, the famous baseball player of the 1950’s?”

“Although he was way before my time, I've definitely heard of him.”

“Well, Mickey Mantle loved to play baseball so much that he’d get mad when it rained and he couldn’t play.   He didn’t work, and yet he was one of the most highly paid men of his day.   He played.   His game was baseball.   He did what he loved doing and was highly paid at the same time.   That’s receiving money by listening to your heart.” 

“Yeah,” I said, “but he was a rare exception.”

“Not true," she replied.   He was just one of the famous ones.   There are now and there always have been countless numbers of people who have lived their lives doing what they loved to do.   They are just not famous or even well known.   The difference between the dream-walkers and those who struggle through life is that the dream-walkers totally and completely commit themselves to manifesting their dreams.”

“The strugglers, on the other hand, dance to someone else’s tune, walk someone else’s talk, and obey someone else’s rules.   They've buried their own dreams in mental garbage.   They're controlled by beliefs like:  ‘It’s impossible.’  ‘It’s inevitable.’  ‘It can’t be any other way.’  'I'm not good enough to be, do, have what I want.'  ‘Life sucks and then you die.’ “

She continues, “When President John F. Kennedy made his now famous speech in 1961 about putting a man on the moon before the end of the decade, which of those two categories do you suppose he was in?”

I gave the obvious answer,  “He was a dream-walker of course.”

“And he was also an extremely  popular, very dynamic, and highly skilled as president of the United States.  

“So, Jazbell, you’re telling me that I, too, have a choice.   I can be a dream-walker or a garbage-shoveler. . .”

“Yes.   Everybody has that choice."

“So, how did you get to be one of the dream-walkers?” 

“Since I was a young child, I’ve had access to several marvelous mentors who’ve lovingly guided me along the way.”

"I'd like to hear more about your mentors."   

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End of Book Excerpt One